Multistructured accretion flow of Sgr A* I: Examination of a RIAF model

TL;DR

This study applies a detailed RIAF model to high-resolution Chandra spectra of Sgr A*, revealing an inflow-outflow balance, a shallow temperature profile, and low iron abundance, advancing understanding of accretion physics near the Galactic Center.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive RIAF model that accounts for instrumental effects and accretion geometry, providing new insights into the plasma structure and composition of Sgr A*.

Findings

Inflow balanced by outflow with s ~ 1

Shallow temperature profile in the accretion flow

Iron abundance significantly lower than nearby stars

Abstract

The extreme low-luminosity supermassive black hole Sgr A* provides a unique laboratory in which to test radiatively inefficient accretion flow (RIAF) models. Previous fits to the quiescent Chandra ACIS-S spectrum found a RIAF model with an equal inflow-outflow balance works well. In this work, we apply the RIAF model to the Chandra HETG-S spectrum obtained through the Chandra X-ray Visionary Program, which displays features suggestive of temperature and velocity structures within the plasma. A comprehensive forward model analysis accounting for the accretion flow geometry and HETG-S instrumental effects is required for a full interpretation of the quiescent Chandra HETG-S spectrum. We present a RIAF model that takes these effects into account. Our fits to the high-resolution gratings spectrum indicate an inflow balanced by an outflow ($s \sim 1$) alongside a temperature profile that appears shallower than what would be expected from a gravitational potential following $1/r$. The data require that the abundance of Iron relative to solar is $Z_{Fe} < 0.32 Z_\odot$ (90\% credible interval), much lower than the $2~Z_\odot$ metallicity measured in nearby late-type giants. While future missions like NewAthena will provide higher spectral resolution, source separation will continue to be a problem. Leveraging Chandra's unparalleled spatial resolution, which is not expected to be surpassed for decades, remains essential for detailed investigations of the densely populated Galactic Center in X-rays.